Ex-Pirates closer Capps to join Nats
December 24, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP)—Reliever Matt Capps(notes) reached a preliminary agreement earlyThursday on a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the Washington Nationals.
Capps can earn an additional $425,000 in performance bonuses for gamesfinished under the deal, which was reached about 12:30 a.m. The pitcher’s agent,Paul Kinzer, said the agreement is subject to a physical that will take place inthe first week of January.
“This was the opportunity for him to be a closer and he decided the wantedto stay in that role,” Kinzer said.
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The 26-year-old Capps became a free agent this month when the Piratesdecided not to offer him a contract for 2010. The right-hander earned 27 saveslast season, while going 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA. He struck out 46 batters in 54 1-3innings.
Kinzer said the bidding lasted through Wednesday night and that Capps turneddown a two-year offer from the Nationals, believing he will have a good seasonand put himself in position for a higher 2011 salary. While Washington was thefavorite, other teams also tried to sign Capps.
“There also was the Cubs,” Kinzer said. “The Mets expressed someinterest, but it was very late. We very down the road with it, and it would havebeen a setup role, too.”
Capps made his major league debut in 2005 and has career totals of 67 saves,a 19-19 record and 3.61 ERA, all with the Pirates. He would start earning hisbonuses with 40 games finished and would get the full amount with 65.
He gives the Nationals an experienced closer as they work to rebuild abullpen that was among the team’s biggest problems in 2009, when Washingtonfinished 59-103, the worst record in the majors. It was the second consecutiveyear that the Nationals lost more than 100 games.
Mike MacDougal(notes) was signed in May and finished the season as Washington’scloser, getting 20 saves and going 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA. But the Nationals didnot offer him a contract for next season.
Instead, general manager Mike Rizzo has set out to rebuild the bullpen,trading for New York Yankees relief pitcher Brian Bruney(notes) and now bringing aboardCapps.
Those are part of a busy offseason that also has included this week’ssigning of free-agent starting pitcher Jason Marquis(notes) to a $15 million, two-yearcontract, and the earlier $6 million, two-year deal given to free-agent catcherIvan Rodriguez(notes).
The Nationals also have an agreement on a minor league contract withreliever Eddie Guardado(notes), who would get a chance to make the team in springtraining.
The 39-year-old left-hander known as “Everyday Eddie” appeared in 48 gamesfor the Texas Rangers last season, going 1-2 with a 4.46 ERA. Guardado has 187saves in a career that began in 1993.
AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
